Sir, - Kevin O'Sullivan (An Irishman's Diary, January 18th) seems to be in favour of naming Irish housing estates after places in England. He lists the many streets in London named after places in Ireland, or after Irish people who have distinguished themselves in one way or another. It does not seem to occur to him that English street-names in Ireland and Irish street-names in England owe their origin to our colonial past. When these streets were named in England it was not with the intention of boosting the morale of the British Empire's Irish subjects - these were merely the names of places in Britain.
Ireland was recognised as a separate entity chiefly when it was being troublesome (the Famine, for instance) or rebellious. On the other hand, distinguished Irishmen never were recognised as Irish: Swift, Goldsmith, Wilde, Shaw, etc. were and still are "British". So is any present-day Irishman who is eminent in his field.
I do not know why Irish builders wish to erase Irish townlands, many of which have been named for over 1,000 years, and call their housing estates after places in England. They are carrying on the work of former times of naming streets in towns after British royalty, lords lieutenant and other officials now forgotten. Who would have thought that a free and independent people would continue to do this?
Limerick Corporation has made a stand which will, I hope, be emulated by other authorities - names like "Windsor Heights" and "Windermere Close" have no place in this country. If that, according to Kevin O'Sullivan is "language fundamentalism" (a strange new phenomenon), so be it. - Yours, etc.,
M.M. Ireland, Priory Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin.